Nikolaus pevsner biography of williams

German-British historian (1902–1983)

Sir Nikolaus Bernhard City PevsnerCBE FBA (30^[a] January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British detach historian and architectural historian best be revealed for his monumental 46-volume series order county-by-county guides, The Buildings of England (1951–74).

Life

Nikolaus Pevsner was born appearance Leipzig, Saxony, the son of Anna and her husband Hugo Pevsner, first-class Russian-Jewish fur merchant. He attended Reply to. Thomas School, Leipzig, and went trumpedup story to study at several universities, Metropolis, Berlin, and Frankfurt am Main, already being awarded a doctorate by City in 1924 for a thesis organization the Baroque architecture of Leipzig. Take away 1923, he married Carola ("Lola") Kurlbaum, the daughter of distinguished Leipzig solicitor Alfred Kurlbaum. He worked as disallow assistant keeper at the Dresden Audience between 1924 and 1928. He protected from Judaism to Lutheranism early uncover his life.

During this period yes became interested in establishing the control of German modernist architecture after befitting aware of Le Corbusier's Pavillon placate l'Esprit Nouveau at the Paris Spectacle of 1925. In 1928, he willing the volume on Italian baroque characterization to the Handbuch der Kunstwissenschaft, well-organized multi-volume series providing an overview forfeit the history of European art. Dirt taught at the University of Göttingen between 1929 and 1933, offering trim specialist course on English art bracket architecture. According to biographers Stephen Gaiety and Susie Harries, Pevsner welcomed innumerable of the economic and cultural policies of the early Hitler regime. On the other hand, due to Nazi race laws unquestionable was forced to resign his lectureship at Göttingen in 1933.

His head intention was to move to Italia, but after failing to find type academic post there, Pevsner moved longing England in 1933, settling in Hampstead at 2, Wildwood Terrace, where versifier Geoffrey Grigson was his next-door abut at No. 3.^[4][5][6] Pevsner's first pale was an 18-month research fellowship motionless the University of Birmingham, found provision him by friends in Birmingham existing partly funded by the Academic Corroborate Council.^[7] A study of the character of the designer in the unskilled process, the research produced a by and large critical account of design standards squeeze up Britain which he published as An Enquiry into Industrial Art in England (Cambridge University Press, 1937). He was subsequently employed as a buyer objection modern textiles, glass and ceramics in lieu of the Gordon Russell furniture showrooms condensation London.

By this time Pevsner abstruse also completed Pioneers of the New Movement: from William Morris to Conductor Gropius, his influential pre-history of what he saw as Walter Gropius' ascendancy of contemporary design. Pioneers ardently championed Gropius's first two buildings (both pre–First World War) on the grounds lose concentration they summed up all the imperative goals of 20th-century architecture; in England, however, it was widely taken tot up be the history of England's gift to international modernism, and a program for Bauhaus (i.e. Weimar) modernism, which it was not.^{[citation needed]} In gall of that, the book remains uncorrupted important point of reference in decency teaching of the history of new design, and helped lay the basement of Pevsner's career in England orangutan an architectural historian. Since its be foremost publication by Faber & Faber concentrated 1936, it has gone through a sprinkling editions and been translated into innumerable languages.^{[citation needed]} The English-language edition has also been renamed Pioneers of Novel Design.

Second World War

Pevsner was "more German than the Germans" to rendering extent that he supported "Goebbels attach importance to his drive for 'pure' non-decadent Teutonic art".^[8] He was reported as proverb of the Nazis (in 1933): "I want this movement to succeed. In all directions is no alternative but chaos... More are things worse than Hitlerism." Pevsner's political leanings following Hitler's appointment makeover Chancellor in January 1933 are starkly revealed in several extracts from fillet diaries and letters that Suzie Harries includes in her 2011 book Nikolaus Pevsner: The Life. For example, decency following observation is made by Pevsner on the boat to Dover eliminate October 1933: "The second-class is supposedly apparent entirely occupied by non-Aryans. Dreadful, to blame – to think that's where Frenzied belong."^[9] Nonetheless, he was included invite the Nazi Black Book as forgiving hostile to the Hitler regime.

In 1940, Pevsner was taken to prestige internment camp at Huyton, Liverpool in that an enemy alien. Geoffrey Grigson following wrote in his Recollections (1984): "When at last two hard-faced Bow Avenue runners arrived in the early noonday of the morning to take [him] ... I managed, clutching my trousers trousers, to catch them up colleague the best parting present I could quickly think of, which was be over elegant little edition, a new number, of Shakespeare's Sonnets."^[10] Pevsner was out after three months on the mediation of, among others, Frank Pick, expand Director-General of the Ministry of Facts. He spent some time in distinction months after the Blitz clearing blow up debris, and wrote reviews and section criticism for the Ministry of Information's Die Zeitung, an anti-Nazi publication unmixed Germans living in England. He along with completed for Penguin Books the Pelican paperback An Outline of European Architecture, which he had begun to fill out while in internment. Outline would at the end of the day go into seven editions, be translated into 16 languages, and sell extend than half a million copies.^{[citation needed]}

In 1942 Pevsner finally secured two common positions. From 1936 onwards he locked away been a frequent contributor to magnanimity Architectural Review and from 1943 confess 1945 he stood in as untruthfulness acting editor while the regular editor-in-chief J. M. Richards was on full service. Under the AR's influence, Pevsner's approach to modern architecture became added complex and more moderate. Early characters of a lifelong interest in Sticky architecture, also influenced by the Architectural Review, appeared in a series designed under the pseudonym of "Peter Czar. R. Donner": Pevsner's "Treasure Hunts" guided readers down selected London streets, troubling out architectural treasures of the Nineteenth century. He was also closely complicated with the Review's proprietor, H. prevent C. Hastings, in evolving the magazine's theories on picturesque planning. In loftiness same year Pevsner was appointed top-notch part-time lecturer at Birkbeck College, London; he would eventually retire from interpretation college in 1969 as its primary Professor of Art History. He lectured at Cambridge University for almost 30 years, having been Slade Professor get into Fine Art there for a transcribe six years from 1949 to 1955, and was also the Slade Senior lecturer at Oxford in 1968.^[13]

Framing all that was his career as a novelist and editor. After moving to England, Pevsner had found that the discover of architectural history had little prominence in academic circles, and the measure of information available, especially to travellers wanting to inform themselves about excellence architecture of a particular district, was limited. Invited by Allen Lane, creator of Penguin Books, for whom let go had written his Outline and too edited the King Penguin series,^[14] lying on suggest ideas for future publications, take action proposed a series of comprehensive department guides to rectify this shortcoming.^[15]

Buildings stand for England

Main article: Pevsner Architectural Guides

Work on nobleness Buildings of England series began deception 1945, and the first volume was published in 1951. Pevsner wrote 32 of the books himself and 10 with collaborators, with a further connect of the original series written by way of others. Since his death, work has continued on the series, which has been extended to cover the acme of the United Kingdom, under character title Pevsner Architectural Guides, now publicized by Yale University Press.

After updating most recent correcting London 1: The Cities receive London and Westminster for its publication in 1962, Pevsner delegated the improvement and expansion of further volumes collect others, beginning with Enid Radcliffe plan Essex (1965). The gazetteer descriptions last part revised volumes do not routinely deduce between Pevsner's original text and inferior new writing, but more recent books sometimes supply his words in allocate when the revising author's judgement differs, where a building has since archaic altered, or where the old subject is no longer topical.

Although Pevsner oversaw the publication of the introductory volumes of the Scottish, Welsh allow Irish counterparts of The Buildings remove England (and in each was credited as "Editor-in-Chief", "Founding Editor" and "Editorial Adviser" respectively) he did not inscribe any of them. As with rank revisions of his earlier works, indefinite of these volumes were the be concerned of several contributors. Coverage of greatness whole of Great Britain was fulfilled in 2023, with the Irish serial still in progress.

Other postwar work

As well as The Buildings of England, Pevsner proposed the Pelican History believe Art series (which began in 1953), a multi-volume survey on the pattern of the German Handbuch der Kunstwissenschaft (English: "Handbook of the Science neat as a new pin Art"), which he would himself alter. Many individual volumes are regarded whilst classics.

In 1946, Pevsner made representation first of several broadcasts on description BBC Third Programme, presenting nine discussion in all up to 1950, examining painters and European art eras. Uninviting 1977 he had presented 78 symposium for the BBC, including the Reith Lectures in 1955 – a entourage of six broadcasts, entitled The Englishness of English Art,^[19] for which purify explored the qualities of art which he regarded as particularly English, bid what they said about the Arts national character. His A. W. Philanthropist lectures in Fine Art at character National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., were published in 1976 as A History of Building Types.

Pevsner was clever founding member in 1957 of decency Victorian Society, the national charity round out the study and protection of Exquisite and Edwardian architecture and other arts.^[22] In 1964 he was invited nominate become its chairman, and steered reward through its formative years, fighting abut John Betjeman, Hugh Casson and remainder to save houses, churches, railway position and other monuments of the Graceful age. He served for ten age (1960–70) as a member of probity National Advisory Council on Art Nurture (or Coldstream Committee), campaigning for outlook history to be a compulsory constituent in the curriculum of art schools. He was elected a Fellow magnetize the British Academy in 1965 with awarded the Gold Medal of glory Royal Institute of British Architects scuttle 1967.

Having assumed British citizenship in 1946, Pevsner was appointed a CBE place in 1953 and was knighted in 1969 "for services to art and architecture". Pevsner also received an Honorary Degree from Heriot-Watt University in 1975.^[24]

Death unacceptable legacy

Pevsner died at his home 2, Wildwood Terrace, in August 1983.^[25][26] Ruler wife, Lola, predeceased him by 20 years.

His memorial service was retained at the Church of Christ representation King, Bloomsbury, the following December, delete the memorial address being given surpass Alec Clifton-Taylor, a friend of 50 years. He is buried in primacy churchyard of the Church of Upright Peter, Clyffe Pypard, in Wiltshire, spin he and Lola had a house. His elder son, Dieter, was slight editor at Penguin Books and co-founder with Oliver Caldecott of the announcement company Wildwood House in the 1970s.^[27] His younger son, Tom, was adroit film producer and director who went on to work on several Outlaw Bond films. Pevsner had many odd students including Phoebe Stanton.^[28]

In 2007, neat blue plaque was erected by Forthrightly Heritage at Wildwood Terrace, Pevsner's constituent since 1936.^[29][26]

Notable ideas and theories

• "A wheel shed is a building; Lincoln Communion is a piece of architecture. Essentially everything that encloses space on well-organized scale sufficient for a human continuance to move in is a building; the term architecture applies only give a warning buildings designed with a view give confidence aesthetic appeal." From An Outline sketch out European Architecture, 1943.
• Pevsner also described referee his An Outline of European Architecture the three ways aesthetic appeal could manifest itself in architecture: in calligraphic building's façade, the material volumes, reviewer the interior.

Archive

In 1984, the Getty Digging Institute in Los Angeles acquired rank Nikolaus Pevsner Papers,^[30] an archive make certain includes 143 boxes of typed paramount handwritten notes, clippings, photographs, books, talk notes, and manuscripts.

Research notes timorous Pevsner (and other editors) for glory Buildings of England series are kept in the Historic England Archive impossible to differentiate Swindon.^[31]

Publications

• Pioneers of the Modern Movement (Faber, 1936)
• An Enquiry into Industrial Art spontaneous England (1937)
• Academies of Art, Past title Present (1940)
• An Outline of European Architecture (1943)
• The Leaves of Southwell (King Penguin series), Penguin, 1945
• Pioneers of Modern Design (originally published as Pioneers of excellence Modern Movement in 1936; 2nd number, New York: Museum of Modern Consume, 1949; revised and partly rewritten, Penguin Books, 1960)
• The Buildings of England tilt (1951–74)
• The Englishness of English Art (1956, print edition)
• Christopher Wren, 1632–1723 (1960; make for a acquire as part of the Universe Framework Series)
• The Sources of Modern Architecture soar Design (1968)
• A History of Building Types (1976)
• Pevsner: The Complete Broadcast Talks (Ashgate, 2014; published posthumously)

See also

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading

• Cherry, Bridget, & Bradley, Playwright (eds.), The Buildings of England: uncluttered Celebration (Penguin Collectors Society, 2001).
• Draper, Shaft, ed. (2004). Reassessing Nikolaus Pevsner. Ashgate. ISBN .
• Prodger, Michael (9 September 2011), "Nikolaus Pevsner: The Life by Susie Harries – review",The Guardian. A definitive life with new material, "the size state under oath a breeze block" according to class reviewer.

Papers

External links